Mello and Near Against the World
by Whitechcolate
Summary: Mello's in the race to catch Kira before L, but he'll need help. Help that comes in the name of Near.
1. Chapter 1

Mello dropped a bag full of white clothes on the bed and placed his hands on his hips. His blue eyes scanned every tiny bit of tiredness evident on Near's face with satisfaction.

"What is Mello doing?" The white boy asked. He'd been quiet since the moment Mello oh so rudely entered his room, took a bag and shoved Near's clothes in it. Now the blonde was looking at him and he had to at least acknowledge Mello's presence in his room at… Near looked at the clock. Three o'clock in the morning.

"Taking you out of here." Mello said rolling his eye and making it seem like the answer was obvious and Near was the one too thick to notice. Prick.

"Why?"

"Because we got a case to solve." Mello snapped and stuffed another white shirt into the bag. Dark eyes squinted and he guessed Mello had fit about 7 changes of clothes for him in there. The albino shifted his way next to the bag and reached for his scarf, but Mello slapped his hand away. "Stay out of my way, yeah?" Near rubbed his eyes and stared out of the window. Something was truly off. Didn't Mello yell that he hated Near's guts every moment they were together? Why this now?

"Does Mello refer to the Kira case in which L is working on?" Near tried again. L had always issued him to try talking more, but he wasn't sure if Mello was a good test subject.

Mello rolled his eyes at the boy again and zipped up the bag. "Wow, Near, no wonder you're a genius." Near could hear all the irony on Mello's voice even if he didn't want to and he really wasn't up for Mello's shitty attitude at this time in the morning.

"Why would I go with Mello?" He tilted his head and examined the blonde carefully. He knew his eyes would't give away how curious he really was and how he was secretly hoping to get Mello to burst and tell everything already. Mello was intriguing to Near... that wasn't an important thought. Near shook it away.

That made Mello grin. Oh here it comes the thing that made Mello bother to bother Near. "I have you real name, Nate River and if you don't come with me I'll make sure Kira gets it." Near analysed Mello's face. In the inside Near was actually quite amused. He expected more from his one sided rival but decided to take the bait and figure the end of what Mello planned.

"I highly doubt Mello's capability of killing one of L's successors in such an ironic-"

"Shut up, Near!" Mello pulled Near off of the bed by the collar of his pyjamas and Near stared back blankly, his toes barely touching the ground. "You do not know anything about my capabilities!" With that Mello took the bag with Near's clothes in one hand while with the other he dragged Near through the corridors of Wammy's Orphanage for Gifted Children.

Mello only let go of Near when he had both bags (his included) carefully tied onto his motorcycle and Near hugging tightly onto his back. "If you do let go you'll die." Mello repeated and this time Near's grip tightened. He truly was scared. He had 18 year old Mello threatening him since he woke up and even if he didn't believe Mello would give his name to Kira, he didn't doubt Mello going fast enough to kill who fell off of his bike.

Near was right. Mello darted off and he was nearly certain he accentuated the curves he had to go through just to scare him. Now, Near had a quick reasoning process, but was scared shitless of too many movements so as the motorcycle sped it's way in between houses and whatever came it's way all he managed to do was hold tighter onto Mello and close his eyes. This didn't make any sense and he felt cold, tired and hated. Yes, he could feel Mello hating him. Mello's skin pratically bruning under the clothes where Near was holding on to not fall and die. Maybe Mello wanted him to fall off. Maybe he was kidnapping him to finally earn the first position at the orphanage- no that wasn't possible. Mello was 18. He had nothing to do with Wammy's again until L died. He entertained himself with thoughts of how Mello would shoot him when he felt the speed of the bike reduce.

Near's hold on Mello's waist only lightened when the blonde parked in front of an old house and grinned at him. "Don't tell me I you got scared."

"Don't speak nonsense, Mello's skill in driving is bad." Near muttered and shrugged at Mello's teasing.

"Hey! I'm still getting used to it!" Mello barked back and Near frowned. With Mello's bad temper he might as well get his brain blown off outside the abandond house. "Just let go of me, you creepy little shit." He gestured to Near's arms still around his torso.

Near did so and hugged himself while Mello got off the bike and helped him off afterwards. "Why did Mello ask me to come if he hates me?" Mello groaned and took both bags while pushing Near to the front steps of the house. "Mello?" Near repeated after the door was opened.

"Near, if this iss going to work, we got to make some basic rules." The blond boy shut the door and turned on the lights. "You don't refer to me in third person, you don't make me stupid questions, you do as I say and you take your damn things upstairs." Okay, so it meant he wasn't going to die at this moment. The bag Mello made for Near was thrown at the albino's feet and Near picked it up while Mello locked the door.

They stayed a few moments simply staring at each other before Near spoke again. "Where's my bedroom?"

Mello groaned, rubbed his face and pulled Near by the shirt up the stairs. "It's a small house. You're sleeping with me." When they reached the second floor Mello let go of him, opened the door and gestured for him to come closer. Near did as instructed and walked in. He wasn't that suprised at how empty the room was, even though it was tiny, but for a bed, a dresser and an old waredrobe. Near let go of his bag and looked unamused at the bed.

"Are we sleeping in the same bed?" Near asked quietly.

"Yeah, lucky you."

"How did Mel- you get this house?" Near spoke after a few mintues of awkward silence.

"My parents had this house when I was little- It's mine now that I'm 18." Mello's fingers drew circles on the wood of the door. So this was Mello's house before the big fire? He could make out where the craddle had been, next to the window- Near bit the inside of his cheek. Maybe Mello would answer other questions now.

"Why… Didn't you ask Matt for help?" He started. "Did L request your help? Will Mr. Wammy still consider you an option to take L's throne after kidnapping me?" Near felt anxious. All the questions he had been holding flew out of his mouth out of his control. He needed answers. Mello was too difficult to understand.

"I said No stupid questions, Near. Get your things organized and then get your ass down to the living room, we got to start doing… Something." He rolled his eyes and closed the door as he left little Near looking around the small bedroom. The boy glanced at the old wardrobe in the corner and sighed. Oh well.

/-/

"Mello took another bite of his chocolate and looked at the clock. How much time could Near take to get a few white pyjamas organized? He was about to go upstairs and bitch about it when Near came downstairs looking blankly past the blonde. Mello cringed. That was the thing he most hated about Near. Of all things. He threw his chocolate bar at the boy who barely dodged it, picked it up and handed it back to him.

"You _dropped_ your chocolate, Mello."

Mello hated the brat's attitude too.

"Fuck you." Mello turned his face at the chocolate in a childish manner.

Near sighed and looked at the table full of reports and data. "You'll have to be nicer if you want help." Mello gasped and lifted his hand to Near's face before hesitantly bringing it down and crossing his arms. "Did Matt hack L's computer?"

"You don't get it? You're a hostage. You're only going back to Wammy's when this case is finished, I really don't need your help if you're just going to make questions. That means I have no problem in digging a bullet through your stupid big head. I'm setting the conditions."

Near sat next to Mello and picked up a file on one of the suspects. "I think that is barely the case, Mello, you don't really want to hurt me, do you?"Mello stayed quiet. Blue eyes prepared for anything the younger boy could pull up. Near turned to Mello and put the file down. "Do you?" He repeated- And then it happened, Mello's hand going straight across perfectly white skin. Near gasped and Mello stood up.

"Don't test me, Near, I will kill you if I have to, you're not as tough to break as you pretend to be."

Near felt the sting of Mello's hand on his cheek and stared. "I need my toys." He whispered.

"I left them at Wammy's." Mello grinned evilly and Near crossed his arms in a gesture of arrogance which only worsen the mood "You. Will. Fucking. Die. If you keep provoking me."

"I can't work like this." Near insisted and looked away.

"Stop being a wimp!" Mello hopped off the couch to look down at the smaller boy.

"I'm not the one who kidnapped someone with no plan whatsoever on what to do!" Near's voice echoed through the living room, they stared at each other for a few seconds before Mello showed him his middle finger and left the living room. The door making a huge "thud" when Mello walked past it. Near waited a few moments, making sure Mello wouldn't come back before lifting some of the stacks of paper into his lap and reading through them.

This was no use, was Mello even sure these were L's only suspects in the Kira case? Just reading files wouldn't get them anywhere, even if they were as good as people told them they were. They needed evidence too and that's not something you find in this sort of files. Near looked at the door once more and sighed twirling a lock of white hair on his finger. Think. What did Mello wish to achieve with these… Near took the pen Mello left on the coffee table and took all the notes he could possibly get out of the scarce information. When Mello got back Near was covered in the middle of perfectly round handwriting on notes, files and photos of people, rereading his notes and drawing spirals on a blank piece of paper.

"What is this?" The blonde asked and Near looked up at him. Boy he looked like the younger version of L. Soon he'd be seventeen and he still looked like his baby self- except for the bags he was developing under his eyes, because like L, Near didn't sleep well. The kid didn't even eat right! He was getting thiner and even though his pyjamas were big and made him seem chubby and in his dad's clothes it was apparent he wasn't healthy like the boys his age. Wammy' was a hell on Earth.

"All the information you can get out of these files. I want to go home now." Near interrupted Mello's thinking and stood without looking at the blonde. His face was trying to give away some emotion, but Near's face was weird, he was only ever slight something... slightly angry... slightly unhappy- Why did he "agree" to go with Mello anyway? He knew it wasn't a good deal. Mello heard the albino curse to himself and that made him straighten his eyes at the paper on the ground. Did he really want to leave? Bugger.

"This isn't your choice. You do know what a hostage means, Near?"

"...It means-" Near started, but gave up. It really was his choice and Mello wouldn't be able to keep Near there if Near didn't want to be there. Both knew that. He'd need to convince the albino and the curiosity of how he'd do that had kept Near woking for the whole morning. "I'm not workimg for you like a dog, Mello, I'm not Matt. I'm working for you as a..." Friend? He couldn't bring himself to say it. Let Mello figure it by himself.

Mello frowned at him and the way he talked about Matt but took two deep breaths instead of exploding and creating that whole scene again. "Fine. Put the title you want." He sighed before throwing a package next to Near's feet. "Lunch'll be ready soon, get the things cleaned up."

"What's this?" Near glanced at the package and Mello turned to look at him over his shoulders.

"Lunch'll be ready in ten minutes." He repeated and left the living room. Near looked the large package and grinned to himself. Could it be? Mello was sorry? He opened the package and found another box inside. He opened two other boxes before finding a key chain with a small magic cube. He glared at it. Mello wasn't even trying to make him stay. Prick.


	2. Chapter 2

Near walked into the kitchen in exactly 10 minutes -not a second late- and Mello rolled his eyes. Creepy sheep boy.

The little curve of lips on Near's face made it obvious he did it on purpose.

Why did Near go out of his way to annoy Mello?

The blonde sighed and picked up a knife. If the albino kid didn't play such an important place in the plan, he'd be more than glad to try targeting Near's big head with the utensil in hand. How long would Mello have to handle Near's creepy ways anyway?

He sighed and went back to sorting the carrots he was going to use to make a salad.

Near sat down and rested his head on his hand. He kept his eyes on Mello's back.

The blonde didn't look like someone starting a conversation with him anytime soon and Near didn't have to be the genius he was to know that he was pissed at something. Strangely, Near felt quite chatty after being "kidnapped" and he wanted Mello to say something.

Something that he knew was missing about this whole story.

The albino started twirling his hair with a finger and looked at the ceiling.

"Salad?" he asked tilting his head to the side and watching the blonde's arm stop cutting. Mello never did something while considering something else. Near had that down to heart.

"Yep." Mello answered.

Okay. Disappointing. Near was really trying here. Mello was the one who should be doing the talking, why was he even bothering to stay in this house and hear Mello open his mouth only to shout shit at him?

"Salad for lunch?" Near tried again, his voice raising slightly. The fact Mello had chosen salad for lunch had, actually caught his attention.

He'd seen Mello skip lunch and meal times lots of times at Wammy's. Mr Wammy used to say Mello just didn't feel hungry but with all Near had studied about disorders he suspected otherwise.

"I always have salad, what are you even going on about?" Mello said in between a sigh. Couldn't the albino just stop like he usually did?

He really doubted Near had ever used as many words before in his whole life like he had today.

The older teen turned away from him and glared at the carrots and other vegetables on the chopping board. Right. He had a salad to make. He held his breath and looked at the lettuce and tomatoes before deciding he'd only have carrots today- Oh, right. They.

"Is Mello anorexic?" Near blurted out.

Silence had never made him nervous before, but today was different and he was afraid of anything that could spill from Mello's lips.

"Fucking shut up!" Mello stopped chopping the carrots so that he wouldn't cut his own finger or throw the knife at Near.

"It's just a question." Near whispered and curled up a bit at the way Mello's voice had risen. Okay so he had touched a nerve? As if touching the blond's nerve was even remotely hard.

"No. You are just making stupid assumptions to seem smarter than me! You're saying I have an eating disorder just because I like carrots? How stupid can you actually get?!" he stabbed the chopping board and washed his hand before turning to face Near in anger. Who did this sheep think he was?

"I didn't mean to offend and it's not a hitch." he paused, making sure Mello wouldn't interrupt him before parting his lips again. "I know you skip lunches and I've seen you weighing yourself seven times a day at Wammy's." Mello glared at the younger boy, trying to stab him with his eyes and then remembered that Near wasn't Matt and that Mello's angry face wouldn't make Near look down or change his expression by a single inch. All Near did was stare back and start twirling his hair around a finger, again. "The question stands."

Mello shook his head as Near said that and made him remember they were in the kitchen having an argument over Mello's non-existing disorder.

"I told you to not make any stupid questions." he snapped, took the knife back into his grip and was about to turn back to the offending carrots when Near's soft voice reached his ears.

"It's not like anyone at Wammy's is normal..." he mumbled so quietly Mello bearly didn't catch it.

"Shut up, I ain't." Mello emphasized that fact with the loud sound of the sharp knife going through the rest of the carrots and nearly breaking the chopping board. "I'm on a healthy diet so that I can eat as much chocolate as I want during the rest of the day." Near sighed and Mello ignored him, rolling his eyes as he set the bowl of carrots on the table.

The blonde sat down and started serving himself of the "salad" made of the only vegetable he could put in his mouth without feeling like he was eating dirt.

Near picked up two carrot slices with his hands, nibbled on one and put it down. Mello hit the table with his hand.

"What's the problem now?"

"I don't enjoy the taste of carrots." Near said and pushed the bowl with carrots aside. Mello felt his cheeks fill up with air and frustration how could he let this kid annoy him the way he did?

"You don't fucking choose what you're going to eat at somebody else's house. I'm doing the favor of actually feeding you."

"But I'm not asking for something else. I just don't like carrots, the only thing you have to do as a host is not make me eat it." Near whispered at the table and blinked. "In the least threatening way you can." he added under his breath. How could Near even express his opinion over something that way? Not a single face muscle moving but a little pout on his lips, his eyebrows staying as relaxed as ever.

Mello was just about to pout back and argue like a five-year-old because, Near looked like he was five, and nothing sounded more fitting than that at the moment.

"Near you're nearly a bunny. Bunnies like carrots." Mello said finally and watched Near's eyes meet his again and glare. Now he looked slightly mad and a hundred percent not amused and that made the blond male chuckle. His mood was ruined in a matter of seconds, however, when said bunny simply crossed his arms and looked away. "Eat it, Near, I'm not here to babysit a sixteen year old." Mello commanded and resumed eating.

"I'm not here to eat carrots." Near slightly frowned and Mello finished chewing the carrots in his mouth to admire how annoyingly pretty Near looked all the time. The older boy stood up, took a fork full of carrots and shoved it in Near's face.

"Open your mouth, sheep boy." Mello whispered threateningly and leveled his eyes to the onyx colored ones. Near only closed his mouth tighter. "You fucking baby." Mello sat back and started eating his carrots again.

This was like losing and Mello hated losing.

If he had to, he'd put his gun on Near's temple and make him eat- Mello blinked.

He just really liked thinking about putting his gun against Near's head and bossing him around and, now that Mr. Wammy wasn't here, that was possible... and illegal, but Mello was the king of illegal and Near was the prince of teasing. He'd fool the blonde out of it, like always.

"Fucking anorexic." Near said after a few moments of assuring himself Mello was no longer a threat.

Mello reminded himself that he hadn't frozen time and Near was right there watching him fantasize about him and a gun. Blue eyes narrowed and the dark colored ones narrowed back in mock. "For a boy in your age-" he didn't have a second, when the little rosy lips parted Mello managed to stuck three slices of carrots in his mouth and hold Near still, so that he wouldn't spit it.

"Eat the carrots and watch your mouth, sheep." he whispered and rested his chin against Near's soft white locks. They smelt like- absolutely nothing and that pissed Mello out too.

/-/

Mello rolled his eyes as Near entered the living room. The boy smirked. That smirk that sent shivers down Mello's spine since the blonde was seven.

He always hated it when Near smirked because it was a fake and horrible. The curving of his lips didn't match the muscles around his eyes giving the smaller boy a twisted look. Mello immediately went back to reading the notes the albino boy had written when he noticed Near had no plans on stopping the stare. Plus, he was still mad about Near throwing up all the carrots he made him eat.

Stupid kid.

The gun had been a better idea. Maybe next time. Near sat next to him and glared at the older boy which made Mello take a deep breath and hide his face behind the papers he was reading. They could live together for a while but Near needed to learn some stuff about privacy.

"Mello."

"What?"

"I don't swing that way." his voice was blunt and Mello blinked trying to understand what he had just said.

Wow, talk about fake smiles, Near using idioms was even more unnatural.

"What do you even mean by that, twit?"

"I hold no interest in boys." Had Near spoken once more about things he liked and disliked? Mello put down the paper he was reading to stare and make sure he wasn't imagining things. Who would tell the boy had it in him?

"So what? Neither do I. You think being heterosexual is special? Most people are." Mello waved the remark away and felt the urge to look at his fingers instead of holding a gaze with the boy, especially after the unfaithful look Near sent him.

"What about Matt? You're interested in him and he declares himself as a boy." Near said carefully as if talking to a child- or someone with an IQ a lot lower than his. That made Mello's cheek puff up again and taking the last bite out of his chocolate bar, Mello sat up right and shifted to a more comfortable position.

Mello sighed, dramatically. The albino wanted to talk about his sexuality and... Matt. Gross. "You sure are chatty today."

Why did Near decide to be talkative and emotional today, of all days? "Do you have a problem with gay people?"

"I got a problem with lying people."

"Well how are you so sure you're not lying as well?" Mello was suddenly very interested in the subject.

Near had zero to no social skills so he really douted the albino kid had even had his first kiss- fuck, he doubted the smaller male had ever even thought about it.

If it weren't for all these questions Mello would have kept thinking the boy was asexual and aromantic. Near looked down after his question and the taller the boy felt more in control of the situation.

"Have you even been with someone else?" Mello recalled Linda, who had always been in love with the small albino. So maybe he wasn't as pure as the color of his clothes? The boy was an adolescent, seventeen in a few weeks. Mello had started exploring by that age... He thought of the annoying girl and creepy Near lying together in bed, kissing each other's lips off and felt sick. "Linda, perhaps?" he added uncomfortably

"Gross." Near replied at the same instant the name was called and Mello grinned in relief.

"Okay... So you're a virgin-" that made Mello laugh and looked at Near in pity. The boy was once again pathetic.

Near simply shrugged and looked back at Mello, waiting for him to continue talking. "See, you can't know for sure until you... Try..." Mello frowned at himself. Where were they going with this? He stared back at the boy and assumed a serious tone. "Near why are you talking to me about this? I thought you were there for HPE classes."

The boy blinked. Why _was_ he telling Mello this?

"Is it because we're sharing a bed? You can sleep on the carpet for all I care." Mello shrugged and looked over the couch for the files he had been reading before.

"So Mello doesn't like me?" Mello's eyes widened. What?! He glared at Near who had a slightly confused expression on his face.

"Shit, Near, there's a difference from liking boys and being desperate." Mello rubbed his face. This was so awkward. Where did Near even get that idea? Gross, gross, gross! "And there's an even bigger difference from liking you as a friend other than as a romantic interest. Fuck I don't even like you as a professional partner- or roommate for all that counts."

"I'm not desperate either, but I like Mello."

The blond sighed, looked up in annoyance and decided to finish this talk so they could get stuff done. He hadn't kidnapped the brat to talk about sex, drugs and- being gay. What did he even mean by saying he liked Mello? Torment him? Torture him?

He crooked his head to the side to stare inside the dark orb of the boy's eyes and felt his bright hair fall to the side, covering half of his face. Near's gaze was empty.

Maybe he just said it to be the first on liking him, maybe he said it without meaning it, sure, he said he didn't like carrots so the boy had the actual ability of disliking stuff - something Mello swore Near had always lacked - but Mello was no carrot and he really didn't feel comfortable with how Near kept pushing him against the wall. Figuratively speaking.

"Okay..." Mello raised an eyebrow and started reading another file. He doubted he'd be able to handle Near if the boy was going to be like this. They were geniuses for crying out loud. These moments didn't seem very genius like. They seemed... Adolescent like.

Mello frowned at the idea of teaching Near all that weird stuff. He didn't sign up for that and he thought that a sixteen year old, bound to succeed L as the brightest person in the world was sure to know all that stuff already. "Are you helping me with these things or are you going to keep questioning your sexuality? You seem like you're suffering."

"I already got all the information I could get from those files." Near said blankly and twirled his hair. He thought he had everything figured out. "How did you find out what you were?"

"That I was a detective?." Mello tried not going back into the subject Near was insisting on, but the albino simply stared at him, unamused, and Mello took a deep breath. His voice lowered and he smiled at the boy, the way it always worked on Matt when he wanted to get laid or when he wanted the dude to buy him chocolate. "Near this is awkward. Why are you even telling me all this stuff? We are like... Rivals..."

"Are we? I don't feel that way" Near's face looked bored and Mello bit his lip.

"Fine. I slep-" Mello paused. Okay so he was opening his lecture by telling the brat the people with whom he slept with? "I kissed a girl and hated it." he fixed his sentence and rolled his eyes as Near urged him to continue.

Mello was not patient. Not a bit, especially when being bossed around by the albino.

"I thought I hated it because I was a late bloomer. Then I kissed Matt and decided that I just liked- dicks. Nice story, huh?"

"So... By kissing?" Near asked and Mello huffed. Either the guy was very thick or he just wanted Mello to use the "F" word.

Never the matter Mello simply picked up from where he had stopped reading and plugged on his headphones.

He watched as Near pick up his own folder of files, but did not open it, simply placing it on his lap and staring. "I am not doing a thing for you until you answer me." he whispered and Mello read his lips over the song playing in his ears. What a stubborn prick.

"Depends." he shrugged, dismissively. He needed something to keep Near away from throwing this sort of ball back at him. "Do you think Kira's gay?" Mello wasn't comfortable with talking to Near about this. He just wanted to get back to the main topic. That was the reason why he had kidnapped the albino in the first place! The only reason he brought Near to his house. The only reason he wanted Near by his side.

He was lying to himself.


	3. Chapter 3

Mello opened his eyes and glanced at the albino boy who was by now covered in dozens of papers, files and notes.

"Don't you ever get sleepy?" He whispered softly and shifted on the couch he had fallen asleep on so to get a better view of Near on the floor.

Near didn't even look up as he kept scribbling some other notes and Mello frowned at the silence. "I find I only need 4 hours of sleep my brain can't rest any longer." Mello sighed. Was Near blaming him for interrupting his 4 hours of sleep?

"You got to sleep more... It's not good for you, obviously."

"My mind's resting right now." Near snapped and Mello cringed. How many times would they argue before they could be in peace next to each other?

Mello played with his fingers. "Don't be stupid. Wammy's fucks everyone up because of that."

"Pardon?" Near asked and Mello sat up so to reason better.

"They make you think your mind is something else from... Yourself. Saying that your brain only needs 4 hours of sleep is proof of that. Your mind needs 4 hours of sleep and your body needs another 4 hours, at least."

"I'm not using my body." Near shrugged Mello's reasoning off and the blonde rolled his eyes and opened another bar of chocolate so to not strangle the kid. He was making Mello sound stupid!

"No, you're using your annoying attitude to get hit." The blonde said and watched Near shift slightly and looked at the clock.

"Your body needs 67.075 times more calories than what a carrot gives you, at least." That made Mello groan and go back to reading Near's notes. Near was kind of right, though, Mello had no right to bitch about Near's habits and that made the blonde upset. He hated that too.

"Can we please not fight again?" Mello said quietly and glued his eyes on the paper silently hoping Near didn't hear it.

Near turned the page of a document and glanced at Mello. "We were fighting?" He yawned and looked at Mello from under his eyelashes. Fuck. Mello looked away and tied up his hair into a bun to distract himself from how appealing Near was looking right now. "I wasn't arguing with you. I was just telling you that you survive quite- well- even though you don't follow the rules."

Mello rubbed his face and got up. "Near go to bed. This is one of the rules"

"It's just two o'clock."

"I swear, the bags under your eyes will be darker than L's when you get older. You've been up for nearly 24 hours."

"I'm old enough to stay up." Near retorted and waved his hand in a dismissing gesture. Mello cringed at the little boy's behavior. He thought the talk was over by now, but Near caugh him swearing something under his breath and then, to Mello's suprise the boy was up. Mello watched amusedly as he came up to stand in front of him and cross his arms. "I'm not a kid anymore, Mello, I'll be seventeen in a month and you just ignore that fact and insist on seening me as the little baby you pushed around! I don't give two fucks about L's title, I don't even like him." Mello's eye followed Near's. He wouldn't look at him and that pissed the blond off. He could rant all he wanted. Mello was older and would always be. He had been at Wammy's way before Near and he had always battled for the title the kid so easily stole from him.

"What do you mean by all this?" Mello got up and pressed his chest against Near's in defiance. He was taller and he might as well remind Near about that. "I don't give two fucks about who or what you like or hate, okay? You hate L? Then help me beat him in this race, you like him? Then help me beat him so I don't put a bullet through your thick head, yeah?"

Near's eyes went back to his. He was glaring at Mello like he had never glared before. This time he wanted his space and was fighting for it- Mello could read it in his eyes and that scared the shit out of him. Near's eyes were always so blank- He watched as Near placed his hands on his chest and felt his cheeks puff up with air. His hands were way too cold for him to even be considered a human being. Wasn't Near angry? How could his body even stay so relaxed and everything about him, but his eyes, give no hint on his temper? Mello was sure his face was red.

He felt Near's hands press against his chest and push him. Mello fell sitted on the sofa as if voluntarily. His eyes glued to Near's. And then his body gave away how the effort to push him was. He let his shoulders fall and Mello could slightly get the hint of his chest heaving in and out. Mello wasn't even that heavy.

"That was using my body." Near mumbled and Mello saw his eyes go blank again. "Now listen to what I have to say about the case and look at me like on of your partners and not a boy you can push around. I'm here because I want to." Mello felt his eyes narrow. Near and he knew that that little push wasn't a threat to Mello. Even without a gun the blonde could make hell break loose and Near was certainly not someone who Mello worried about stopping him.

"Near, who do you suspect?" Mello rubbed his arm, took a deep breth and looked away.

"Yagami boy." Near said and looked at the ceiling pretending nothing had happened a minute before.

"Wait, you too?" Mello gasped and took the file with all the information on Light Yagami. "How did you..."

"Out of the 100 suspects 67 are connected to the Special Japanese Task Force , out of the 67, 20 are students, family of the officers, with timetables that match the time there are more killings, out of these 20, 6 have excels at school."

"Out of the 6?" Mello waved his hand so Near would continue and sat next to the pale boy on the carpet in pure fascination.

Near took the photo of Light Yagami out of the file and shook it in Mello's face. "He's perfect."

"What?" Mello raised an eyebrow at Near. What was this?

Near sighed. He got too ahead of himself. "He's got all the abilities we are talking about concerning Kira."

"That's not enough, his abilities aren't even explict on the file on him." Mello crossed his arms and smirked. Near taking conclusions out of a gut feeling? Things changed. A lot. The little boy who was always calculating and separating feelings from facts was now telling him to investigate someone out of... Nowhere. This truly was fascinating. He wondered what had changed.

"With the amount of information given I can only come to that conclusion." Near said in his defense and then stopped reading his notes to stare at Mello and smirk back. Mello's heart skipped a beat. That smirk- He blinked. That was a true teasing face. For a moment Near looked like a normal teen. A very attractive normal teen. Not the world's second best genius, not Mello's rival, not the prick with the annoying attitude, not someone with a fucked up head, Wammy's gift to all it's children, just a sixteen-year-old with an incredible set of lips. Mello was so amused he nearly missed the boy's next sentence. "How did you get to the same conclusion?"

"Like you did. Gut feeling." He whsipered.

"Then why did you-"

Mello placed a finger over Near's lips. "Hush, sheep, you've done enough for today, do you want to drink some milk?"

"You're not going to make me sleep." Near crossed his arms but didn't make a move to remove Mello's finger from over his lips, he didn't even seem pissed by the subject like before.

"Fine." Mello got up and pulled Near up with him. "But I'm going to sleep and you're going to stay by my side."

"No way." Near chuckled as Mello nearly tripped on the coffee table that was covered with chocolate wrappers, the magic cube and the sodding files. Mello narrowed his eyes at him. The blonde guessed he was really sleep deprived, or maybe sex deprived to think Near chuckling was better than any other noises that he had ever heard.

"Hey, sheep boy, you might be lying this whole time so that when I fall asleep you can run away and spill the beans." Mello said shaking away all previous thoughts.

"You know I'd never do that! When you left today- I could have ran away, but I didn't!" Near frowned and twirled his white hair around his finger. His humor a little put down from that accusation.

"Never the matter. You're coming." No matter what he did to make the blonde like him Mello would never trust him. He looked away from the older boy. If he went with Mello and the guy locked him up in his room he'd have nothing to do, but sleep as well. Mello knew that and just pulled the albino teen with him to the stairs without breaking a sweat, Near didn't even bother to struggle. "I'm not sleeping early without a deal." Near said after reaching the start of the stairs. Mello frowned.

"What?" Mello gasped. "Hostages don't make deals, stupid."

"I want to cooporate with you. I know you just want me by your side so that I end up sleeping early, I'm not going to unless we make a deal."

Mello sighed. Their relationship seemed more and more like a parent-child relationship by the minute. "What do you want?"

"I want you to eat properly." Near paused as Melll thought a bit before nodding. "I also want toys. Good ones." He gestured at the magic cube and Mello raised an eyebrow before nodding again. "Finally I want to start investing the Yagami boy as soon as possible."

"You're going to sleep early until you return to Wammy's if I do all this stuff?" Near nodded as soon as the sentence left Mello's lips. Mello bit his lip once more. "Okay, fine. Lets go." He stretched his hand and watched as Near simply smirked at him and made his way upstairs leaving a lonely blonde with his hand waiting to be shook. Oh well.

-/-

Mello sighed in relief as his head hit the pillow. He was nearly closing his eyes when the pale boy got out of the bathroom. They had agreed on Near taking a quick shower before going to sleep.

Near frowned at Mello and wrapped the towel he had been using to dry his hair around his waist. Rubbing his arm, sheep boy walked up to his bag looking for his sleeping clothes. Mello tried not to pay attention to him and get some sleep, but when Near took out his humongous white shirt so to cover himself up again he couldn't help but pout.

Near's body was lean. Not a hint of muscle going on. He sighed and looked away when he noticed he had been admiring his torso. Near's skin had no scars, birthmarks or signs of... Living. The skin on his chest seemed unbelievably soft and cold, like of a baby and it was... creepy. Matt's had freckles and a tattoo and- scars... Mello had more scars. Scars he had even before he went to Wammy's.

How could Near be ever paler under his clothes? Mello looked again at Near to try and spot even an inch of a birthmark or tiny scar. Fair skin was easier to hold them, but the boy really didn't have any and Mello just wanted to touch his chest and stomach and check if his skin was really as soft as it seemed-

Near's eyes suddenly connected with Mello's and both looked at opposite directions. The younger boy quickly slid his shirt on -identical to the one he had before- and stared at his change of pants.

"Are you... Shy?" Mello asked after giving up on holding his breath. Truth be told both of them had been. So Near was too shy to dress in front of him? Maybe because he knew Mello was gay and not even subtly checking him out. Mello rubbed his face. This was not what he had planned.

"About what?" Near hid the clothing behind him and tried a guilty smile.

"...Dressing in front of me? Taking off that towel and putting on your clothes?"

"No." He whispered and looked away. Mello caught a flicker of brightness in his eyes, but missed it as Near quickly turned away. "Besides. We didn't kiss." He stated simply and the blonde chocked.

"What?" That caught Mello by suprise and he was suddenly very awake. Near turned back to look at him, his face a total blank, Mello should write on it while he slept and- The blonde reminded himself that he wasn't seven anymore and paid attention to the small boy, the towel he used around his waist left part of his legs showing and right now, Mello wanted to see as much skin as he could for as long as possible. He had never seen Near naked and he had seen nearly everyone naked by now, plus this was robot boy, this was precious.

"I can only be shy if I have romantic feelings for you and I'll only have feelings for you if we kiss, you meant that with what you said at the living room, right?"

Mello raised an eyebrow. That was blunt. He chuckled. "Wait, so you want to kiss?" Near mimicked Mello's expression and Mello chewed on his lip as he watched Near's facial muscles move and raise a light colored eyebrow. Pretty.

He shook the thought away and gasped. Had he just asked if Near wanted a kiss? He sat up on the bed and glared at Near who glared back in confusion.

"No. I just followed your logic." Near turned his back to Mello. Had he perhaps made Near angry? He sighed and turned his own back to Near, silently apologizing for staring, he should have known better and now he made things awkward.

"No, it's not necessarily by kissing someone that you fall for them, Near. Don't be stupid."

"Then how do you get someone to like you?" Near's voice was distant in his mind.

"Liking someone sucks, okay? And being shy around people you don't have a romantic intrest is okay too- Just stop thinking about it, okay-"

"You read my file, didn't you, Mello? When I first came into Wammy's you were the one who stole it, were you not?" But Mello was already fast asleep. At least he pretended to be.


End file.
